Counterfeit Electronic Components

PCBAssemblyEngineering

In a world of parts scarcity, buyer be “even-more-aware” holds. When a potential
supplier offers valid looking parts with recent date codes at a reasonable price,
while every other resource is coming up dry, there may be a reason. Malicious suppliers
have invested heavily in equipment and resources with the intention of producing
facsimiles of some of the most sought after parts.

Common Counterfeit Components Include:

Lower spec or tolerance parts which have their part numbers removed / replaced with
higher spec part numbers

Rejects from factories which are re-purposed as good parts

Old parts recycled and resold as new

Lower spec dies which are placed into high spec packages

Inexpensive, less reliable copies of a name part

If these parts make it past production and into finished goods inventory, then repercussion
are drastic. Most counterfeit parts are non-functional copies of the original. Those
parts, if they make it past incoming inspection, will normally be discovered during
functional electrical test. However, if the supplier provides lower level spec’d
parts (temperature, reliability, etc.) that allow your finished products to pass
testing, you are exposed to an even bigger problem. This equipment may be fielded
in extreme environments that need to meet the high specification requirements. They
will eventually fail and potentially cause major problems for your customer. The
recovery costs of this type of event are enormous monetarily, but also to your reputation.

The best way to not to buy counterfeit parts is to purchase only from franchised
distributors or direct from the manufacturer. The distributors receive material
direct from the manufacturer. It’s a very rare occurrence that their inventory is
corrupted.

If you must buy outside of franchised distribution, buy from a broker you have a
long-term relationship with. These suppliers should also have an AS5553 Counterfeit
Parts; Avoidance, Detection, Mitigation, and Disposition program in place. They
should have a certification from an accredited certification body.

If you must buy from companies that are not franchised, reputable or do not have
a certified AS5553 program in place, you can mitigate the introduction of most counterfeit
product by looking for the following tip-offs:

Incorrect part numbers

Spelling errors

Incorrect date

Manufacturer origin

Pre-soldered pins

Unfamiliar typography or font, including italics or underlines

Package is made with the wrong material

Laser cut lines in the markings

Imperfections

Wrong / incomplete logos

IC markings are in ink and can be wiped away with acetone

More advanced and time-consuming ways to check on the authenticity include various
forms of in-depth testing. While this may affect your timeline, making sure your
parts are legitimate and authentic will save you time, money, and reputation in
the long-term.

Blacktopping is a common technique where a counterfeiter will apply a thin layer
of blacktopping material to cover details such as an original part number. An acetone
wash will help to remove false printing or reveal the remnants of previous markings.

Electrical testing compares the results to the tolerances recorded by the manufacturer
in order to determine whether the part is genuine or not.

De-capsulation involves various techniques, often involving an acid solution, which
therefore makes the process destructive. However, once this process is complete
you can see the inner workings and get a more accurate view of components such as
manufacturer markings, defects to the die, typography, or that the part numbers
are accurate and authentic.

An advanced scanning microscope uses a narrow infrared laser to examine an electronic
chip and gain more information about the chip construction and the function of the
circuit at the transistor level.

X-ray can be used to inspect the die. X ray-inspections will reveal if the die is
in the proper place, if the die are consistent sizes, and if the wire bonds are
broken or missing.

Our electronics components and devices are selectively purchased from franchised
or original manufacturers as much as possible. If not, we buy from brokers with
whom we have a relationship and who also have an acceptable AS5553 program in place.
We employ stringent incoming inspection to check for any counterfeit parts from
any other sources. Our procurement, manufacturing, and test services are subject
to these certified processes and procedures. Contact us for more information about
our electronics manufacturing services and how we keep our electronics supply chain
counterfeit clean.